Article of baby clothing

ABSTRACT

An article of clothing for a baby includes a body section, first and second stocking leg portions attached to the body portion, and shoulder straps extending from the body portion, the article of clothing made from an elastic material and the article of clothing not including an elastic waist band.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/159,411, filed May 11, 2015, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated in its entirety herein.

BACKGROUND

Sometimes a baby will wear stockings or tights under a dress having stocking feet. The tights are typically held at the waist by an elastic waist band, confining the baby's tender stomach and middle region. Because of the movement of the baby's legs in stocking feet and the softness of her middle region, the stockings tend to fall down, also likely affecting the positioning of her diaper. In addition, when a baby is lifted by a person, her torso region may become exposed if her shirt or dress covering the tights is inadvertently lifted from her body.

Therefore, there exists a need for a new article of baby clothing. Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to solving these problems and fulfilling other needs.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, an article of clothing for a baby is provided. The article of clothing includes a body section, first and second stocking leg portions attached to the body portion, and shoulder straps extending from the body portion, the article of clothing made from an elastic material and the article of clothing not including an elastic waist band.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of dressing a baby is provided. The method includes putting the feet of the baby into an article of clothing including a body section, first and second stocking leg portions attached to the body portion, and shoulder straps extending from the body portion, the article of clothing made from an elastic material and the article of clothing not including an elastic waist band, lifting the body section around the middle body of the baby, and placing straps over the shoulders of the baby.

In any of the embodiments described herein, the elastic material may include a synthetic fiber having elasticity and a natural fiber.

In any of the embodiments described herein, the body portion may include at least one body size adjustment device.

In any of the embodiments described herein, the shoulder straps may be elastic.

In any of the embodiments described herein, the shoulder straps may be releasable.

In any of the embodiments described herein, the shoulder straps may be adjustable.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this disclosure will become more readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an article of baby clothing of the present disclosure worn by a baby in a sitting position;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are front and back views of the embodiment of FIG. 1 worn by a baby in a standing position;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an adjustable shoulder strap for the embodiment of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is is a perspective view of another embodiment of an article of baby clothing of the present disclosure including a body size adjustment device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings where like numerals reference like elements is intended as a description of various embodiments of the disclosed subject matter and is not intended to represent the only embodiments. Each embodiment described in this disclosure is provided merely as an example or illustration and should not be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. The illustrative examples provided herein are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the claimed subject matter to the precise forms disclosed.

The following description sets forth one or more examples of an article of clothing for a baby and components thereof. Generally, embodiments described herein relate to an article of clothing for a baby that covers the baby's legs and mid-section without requiring an elastic band or pressure on the baby's mid-section.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to articles of clothing 20 for a baby B. Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the article of clothing includes a body portion 22 and first and second leg portions 24 and 26 attached to the body portion 22. The leg portions 24 and 26 are stocking leg portions having stocking feet 30 and 32.

The article of clothing 20 is made from an elastic material. The elastic material may include a synthetic fiber having elasticity, such as SPANDEX, LYCRA, or elastane. The synthetic fiber may be mixed with another non-elastic synthetic fiber or with a natural fiber, such as cotton, hemp, bamboo, wool, etc. The article of clothing 20 does not include an elastic waist band.

Shoulder straps 40 and 42 maintain the article of clothing on the baby's body and provide counter resistance against the pulling in the stocking feet 30 and 32. The shoulder straps 40 and 42 may include elastic to allow for stretch-ability.

In one embodiment, the shoulder straps 40 and 42 may be releasable on one end to simplify dressing the baby. In another embodiment, the shoulder straps are non-releasable and are simply stretched over the baby's body, similar to a one-piece women's bathing suit.

Referring to FIG. 4, because babies tend to change quickly in size, the sizing for the length of the shoulder straps 40 and 42 may be adjustable. The shoulder straps 40 and 42 may include adjustable attachments 44, for example, adjustable hook and loop type fasteners, belt buckles, such as a material belt pulled through two metal rings, and other fastening devices arranged in a plurality, such as buttons, snaps, etc. The attachment device will be designed and configured to be appropriate for baby wear considering baby swallowing and/or choke hazards.

In another embodiment, the shoulder straps 40 and 42 may be incorporated into short or long sleeves of a body suit type article of clothing.

The body portion 22 may also include at least one body size adjustment device 50. Referring to FIG. 5, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the body portion may include two adjustment devices on the sides of the body portion between the armpits and the waist for cinching the body portion. In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the body portion may include one adjustment device on the back of the body portion. Suitable adjustment devices may include flexible or cinch-able straps. In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the body portion may include elastic panels on the sides of the body portion underneath the baby's armpits.

In use, a method of dressing a baby using one embodiment of an article of clothing 20 in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure includes putting the feet of the baby B into an article of clothing 20 including a body section 22 and first and second stocking leg portions 24 and 26 attached to the body portion 22, the article of clothing 20 being made from an elastic material and the article of clothing 20 not including an elastic waist band. The method further includes lifting the body section 22 of the article of clothing around the middle body of the baby B, and placing straps 40 and 42 over the shoulders of the baby B.

Advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure include the use of tights for a baby without the typical risks of using tights, such as baby discomfort caused by an elastic waist band confining the baby's middle region, the risk of the tights falling down as a result of crawling and/or general pulling in the stocking feet, and exposure of the baby's middle regions if her shirt or dress is inadvertently lifted.

While illustrative embodiments have been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 

The embodiments of the disclosure in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
 1. An article of clothing for a baby, comprising: a body section, first and second stocking leg portions attached to the body portion, and shoulder straps extending from the body portion, the article of clothing made from an elastic material and the article of clothing not including an elastic waist band.
 2. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the elastic material includes a synthetic fiber having elasticity and a natural fiber.
 3. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the body portion includes at least one body size adjustment device.
 4. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the shoulder straps are elastic.
 5. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the shoulder straps are releasable.
 6. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the shoulder straps are adjustable.
 7. A method of dressing a baby, comprising: putting the feet of a baby into an article of clothing including a body section, first and second stocking leg portions attached to the body portion, and shoulder straps extending from the body portion, the article of clothing made from an elastic material and the article of clothing not including an elastic waist band; lifting the body section around the middle body of the baby, and placing straps over the shoulders of the baby. 